Heckard was previously identified in a
lawsuit against Murray by the initials D.H. Since filing the suit
earlier this month, two men, Jeff Simpson and Lloyd Anderson, have
made similar allegations.

“As Mr. Simpson and Mr. Anderson have
been courageous in stepping forward publicly, D.H. feels as though he
should not proceed in anonymity,” Heckard's attorney wrote.

Heckard claims that he carried out a
sexual relationship with Murray after meeting him on a bus at the age
of 15. Heckard, who admits he worked as a prostitute and was on
drugs at the time, claims Murray propositioned him for sexual favors
for as little as $10-$20 in his Capitol Hill apartment.

At a press conference on Wednesday,
Murray said that he did not recognize Heckard from a photo and once
again denied the allegations.

“I can state categorically that I
have never had a sexual relationship with the individual whose name
was revealed today, Delvonn Heckard, or any kind of relationship at
any time with him,” Murray
said.

“Is is possible that I have met this
person before? Sure, it is possible. I have encountered thousands
of people over my three decades as an activist and as a public
servant. I cannot say for certain that I never encountered him at some point in those
thirty years, at a time when I was very publicly active and civically
engaged.”

Murray reiterated his claim that the
accusations are politically motivated.

“Every time I have had to bring a
significant bill forward – the domestic partnership bill in 2008
that The Seattle Times was researching at the time; the
marriage equality bill; and just having sued the President of the
United States and running for re-election, this is when these things
come up. They didn't come up the other 30 years. They come up at a
time, it seems, that certain things happen that are highly partisan
and highly political,” Murray said.

The 61-year-old Murray was elected
mayor in 2014 after nearly two decades of service in the Washington
State Legislature. He is currently seeking re-election. Murray's
husband Michael Shiosaki works for the city of Seattle.